Open games & French

Three Knights Opening

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3

The Three Knights Opening starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 and is catalogued under ECO C46, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 6 lines inside it, grouped into 5 named variations, and the position after those moves has 4 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Three Knights Opening
6 plies
Winawer Defense
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.e4

    Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.

    Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.

  2. 1…e5

    Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.

    Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.

  3. 2.Nf3

    Develops the king’s knight and attacks Black’s e5-pawn.

    Idea: Increase central pressure while getting ready to castle.

  4. 2…Nc6

    Defends e5 while developing the queen’s knight toward the center.

    Idea: Hold the central pawn and keep several classical setups available.

  5. 3.Nc3

    Develops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

4 moves
Nf6Four Knights Game35 named lines · Four Knights Game: Glek System · Four Knights Game: Halloween GambitDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Bb4Three Knights Opening2 named lines · Three Knights Opening: Schlechter VariationDevelops the bishop to b4, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.g6Three Knights Opening: Steinitz Defense2 named lines · Three Knights Opening: Steinitz-Rosenthal VariationAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.f5Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense1 named lineAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Three Knights Opening. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Three Knights Opening.